Imaging device, endoscope system, and endoscope device

Abstract

An endoscope device includes: an imaging unit for photoelectrically converting light from an object that has been irradiated with the light to generate an image signal; an optical signal converter for converting the image signal into an optical signal; a signal dividing unit for dividing the optical signal into first and second optical signals at a predetermined light quantity ratio; a first optical signal transmission line for transmitting the first optical signal; a connecting unit configured to connect the first optical signal transmission line and other optical signal transmission line and to input the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the first optical signal transmission line into the other optical signal transmission line; an electrical signal converter configured to convert the second optical signal into an electrical signal including light quantity information of the second optical signal; and an electrical signal transmission line for transmitting the electrical signal.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An imaging device comprising:
 an imaging unit having a plurality of pixels disposed in a matrix form and configured to photoelectrically convert light from an object that has been irradiated with the light to generate an image signal; 
 an optical signal converter configured to convert the image signal into an optical signal; 
 a signal dividing unit configured to divide the optical signal into a first optical signal and a second optical signal at a predetermined light quantity ratio; 
 a first optical signal transmission line configured to transmit the first optical signal; 
 a second optical signal transmission line configured to input the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the first optical signal transmission line and to transmit the first optical signal input thereto; 
 a connecting unit configured to connect the first optical signal transmission line and the second optical signal transmission line and to input the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the first optical signal transmission line into the second optical signal transmission line; 
 an electrical signal converter configured to convert the second optical signal into an electrical signal including light quantity information of the second optical signal; 
 an electrical signal transmission line configured to transmit the electrical signal; and 
 an abnormality detecting unit configured to detect whether there is an abnormality in the connecting unit based on light quantity information of the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the second optical signal transmission line and on the light quantity information of the second optical signal included in the electrical signal that has been transmitted through the electrical signal transmission line, wherein the abnormality detecting unit comprises a calculation unit configured to calculate a light quantity ratio between the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the second optical signal transmission line and the second optical signal, based on the light quantity information of the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the second optical signal transmission line and on the light quantity information of the second optical signal included in the electrical signal that has been transmitted through the electrical signal transmission line. 
 
     
     
       2. The imaging device according to  claim 1 , wherein the abnormality detecting unit comprises:
 a determination unit configured to determine whether there is an abnormality in the connecting unit based on a degree of matching between the light quantity ratio calculated by the calculation unit and the predetermined light quantity ratio in the signal dividing unit. 
 
     
     
       3. The imaging device according to  claim 1 , wherein the connecting unit comprises:
 a first optical connecting unit that is provided on an output side of the first optical signal transmission line and is configured to be detachably connected to a first external member; and 
 a second optical connecting unit that is provided on an input side of the second optical signal transmission line and is configured to be detachably connected to a second external member, wherein 
 the signal dividing unit, the first optical signal transmission line and the electrical signal converter are provided in the first optical connecting unit. 
 
     
     
       4. The imaging device according to  claim 1 , wherein the optical signal is laser light. 
     
     
       5. The imaging device according to  claim 1 , further comprising an optical signal receiving unit configured to receive the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the second optical signal transmission line and to convert the received first optical signal into an electrical signal including the light quantity information of the first optical signal to output the electrical signal, wherein
 the abnormality detecting unit is configured to detect whether there is an abnormality in the connecting unit based on the electrical signal output from the optical signal receiving unit and on the electrical signal that has been transmitted through the electrical signal transmission line. 
 
     
     
       6. The imaging device according to  claim 1 , further comprising an output unit configured to output abnormality information indicating that there is an abnormality in the connecting unit when the abnormality detecting unit detects the abnormality in the connecting unit. 
     
     
       7. An endoscope system configured to be inserted into a subject to image an inside of the subject, the system comprising:
 a light source unit configured to emit light for irradiating the inside of the subject; 
 an imaging unit having a plurality of pixels disposed in a matrix form and configured to photoelectrically convert the light from the subject that has been irradiated with the light to generate an image signal; 
 an optical signal converter configured to convert the image signal into an optical signal; 
 a signal dividing unit configured to divide the optical signal into a first optical signal and a second optical signal at a predetermined light quantity ratio; 
 a first optical signal transmission line configured to transmit the first optical signal; 
 a second optical signal transmission line configured to input the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the first optical signal transmission line and to transmit the first optical signal input thereto; 
 a connecting unit configured to connect the first optical signal transmission line and the second optical signal transmission line and to input the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the first optical signal transmission line into the second optical signal transmission line; 
 an electrical signal converter configured to convert the second optical signal into an electrical signal including light quantity information of the second optical signal; 
 an electrical signal transmission line configured to transmit the electrical signal; 
 an abnormality detecting unit configured to detect whether there is an abnormality in the connecting unit based on light quantity information of the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the second optical signal transmission line and on the light quantity information of the second optical signal included in the electrical signal that has been transmitted through the electrical signal transmission line, wherein the abnormality detecting unit comprises a calculation unit configured to calculate a light quantity ratio between the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the second optical signal transmission line and the second optical signal, based on the light quantity information of the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the second optical signal transmission line and on the light quantity information of the second optical signal included in the electrical signal that has been transmitted through the electrical signal transmission line; and 
 an image processing unit configured to process the image signal based on the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the second optical signal transmission line. 
 
     
     
       8. An endoscope device comprising:
 an imaging unit having a plurality of pixels disposed in a matrix form and configured to photoelectrically convert light from an object that has been irradiated with the light to generate an image signal; 
 an optical signal converter configured to convert the image signal into an optical signal; 
 a signal dividing unit configured to divide the optical signal into a first optical signal and a second optical signal at a predetermined light quantity ratio; 
 a first optical signal transmission line configured to transmit the first optical signal; 
 a connecting unit configured to connect the first optical signal transmission line and other optical signal transmission line and to input the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the first optical signal transmission line into the other optical signal transmission line; 
 an electrical signal converter configured to convert the second optical signal into an electrical signal including light quantity information of the second optical signal; 
 an electrical signal transmission line configured to transmit the electrical signal; and 
 an abnormality detecting unit configured to detect whether there is an abnormality in the connecting unit based on light quantity information of the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the second optical signal transmission line and on the light quantity information of the second optical signal included in the electrical signal that has been transmitted through the electrical signal transmission line, wherein the abnormality detecting unit comprises a calculation unit configured to calculate a light quantity ratio between the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the second optical signal transmission line and the second optical signal, based on the light quantity information of the first optical signal that has been transmitted through the second optical signal transmission line and on the light quantity information of the second optical signal included in the electrical signal that has been transmitted through the electrical signal transmission line.